Against All Odds: War Picture Library Vol. 2

OUT NOW! Published by Prion Books on 4 August 2008. This is the follow-up to Unleash Hell (—Amazon.co.uk) that came out last September. A dozen great stories from the early years of War Picture Library when it was at its best. Gripping stories by the likes of Donne Avenell, Willie Patterson and Ian Kellie and artwork by some of the finest European, South American and British artists at work in the early 1960s, including Nevio Zeccara, Juan Gonzalez Alacreu, Jorge Moliterni, Jose Ortiz and Solano Lopez. The second volume, like the first, is made up of a mixture of air, land and sea-based stories.

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ISBN: 978-1853756610

Contents

Finest Hour (WPL 175, Dec 1962), Art: Giorgio Trevisan; Script: S & J Thomas
The Troubled Sea (WPL 117, Oct 1961) Art: Harry Farrugia; Script: (unknown)
Foxhole Glory (WPL 170, Nov 1962) Art: George Heath; Script: Donne Avenell
The Thin Blue Line (WPL 96, May 1961) Art: Nevio Zeccara; Script: (unknown)
Strike Squadron (WPL 84, Feb 1961) Art: Nevio Zeccara; Script: Ian Kellie
Banzai (WPL 80, Jan 1961) Art: Annibale Casabianca; Script: Douglas Leach
Road From Tobruk (WPL 154, Jul 1962) Art: Juan Gonzalez Alacreu; Script: (unknown)
Up Periscope (WPL 10, Jan 1959) Art: Nevio Zeccara; Script: Alf Wallace
Rogue Lancaster (WPL 181, Feb 1963) Art: F. Solano Lopez; Script: Willie Patterson
Paratroop (WPL 158, Aug 1962) Art: Jorge Moliterni; Script: Donne Avenell
The Valley of Death (WPL 120, Nov 1961) Art: Jose Ortiz; Script: (unknown)
Snarl of Battle (WPL 162, Sep 1962) Art: Ramon de la Fuente; Script: Donne Avenell

Further information and details can be found in our book The Fleetway Picture Library Index Vol. 1: The War Libraries.

Synopsis

In September 1958, Britain's children thrilled to the first issue of War Picture Library, where they could read of the valiant struggle of a motley group of British soldiers from the British Expeditionary Force whose units were overwhelmed by German forces swarming through the frontiers of Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg. "Fight Back to Dunkirk" was a page-turner of the first order, a shilling shocker that grabbed your attention for 64 explosive pages. The good news was, when you'd finished, there was another one waiting on the spinners at the newsagents. Over the coming months and years, War Picture Library revealed to its young (and sometimes not-so-young) readers just what their fathers and uncles had been through in combat. The diversity of characters and breadth of locations available, from the home front to the steaming jungles, meant that there was something new for readers every month. Fifty years on, the stories still have the power to thrill and horrify us.

Against All Odds is a carefully selected collection of some of the most amazing war stories and striking war art ever produced, reproduced 25 per cent bigger than the originals so you can feel every bullet hit, every crashing wave and every nerve-shattering explosion. This is military history as you've never read it before.

Publicity

Full-bleed cover, front and back

Reviews

"Yes men of a certain age (I don't think many girls read these or the Commando books) will know what to expect here and wallow in the nostalgia ... I was regaling my son only a couple of weeks ago of how I would wait for the War and Battle picture libraries Summer specials to take on holidays and how they would hold me enthralled for hours and of course we all were able to go out and fight pretend battles of our own ... Ah those were the days....and by the way my son loves these as well. Achtung Schweinhund! indeed."—Amazon.co.uk.